Chinese Journal of Pharmacovigilance ›› 2026, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (3): 259-266.
DOI: 10.19803/j.1672-8629.20250941

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Transdermally Absorbed Components of Kangti Shoushen Formula and Their Mechanisms against Obesity

SUN Jian1, YANG Siyu1,2△, MIMA Zhuoga3, REN Zeng3, BIANBA Dunzhu3, WANG Yuxin1, CHENG Haojie1, CI Ren3#, FAN Xinrong1,*   

  1. 1Medical Experimental Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China;
    2Graduate School, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin Heilongjiang 150006, China;
    3Tibetan Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region (Tibet Autonomous Region Institute of Tibetan Medicine), Lhasa Xizang 850000, China
  • Received:2025-12-29 Online:2026-03-15 Published:2026-03-17

Abstract: Objective To study the potential transdermal active components and underlying mechanisms of Kangti Shoushen Formula (KTSF) in the treatment of obesity. Methods The transdermal components of KTSF after experimental permeation were analyzed using HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. Potential targets of KTSF and obesity-related targets were obtained from the PharmMapper and GeneCards databases while the intersecting targets were identified with Venny. The STRING database and Cytoscape software were used to construct and analyze protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and screen core targets. Finally, enrichment analysis was conducted using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Results A total of 21 transdermal components of KTSF were detected. In total, 509 putative KTSF targets and 1,549 obesity-associated targets were identified, yielding 176 overlapping targets. Subsequently, 65 core targets were prioritized. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses suggested that the anti-obesity effects of KTSF might be mediated by multiple components, including L-norleucine, valine, and ferulic acid, which acted on key targets such as AKT1, TNF, PPARγ, and ESR1, thereby modulating pathways related to HIF-1, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and thyroid hormone receptor (THR) signaling. Conclusion KTSF may deliver therapeutic effect against obesity by maintaining glucose and lipid metabolic homeostasis, alleviating inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, and participating in appetite suppression. This study reveals the therapeutic advantages of this Tibetan herbal compound in terms of its “multi-component, multi-target, multi-pathway” characteristics, providing a reference for rational clinical applications of KTSF.

Key words: Kangti Shoushen Formula, Obesity, Transdermal Components, HPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, Mechanism

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